I bought the small base version of this lamp purely to see how they crammed the circuitry into such a tiny area. The answer was by using the minimum number of standard sized components possible. Just four, and to be quite honest they could have left one of them out.
The circuitry is basically the simplest possible capacitive dropper with a capacitor (330nF), discharge resistor (220K), bridge rectifier and an extra resistor (150K) across the filaments to make sure they go out fully, as there is usually a small amount of capacitive leakage between switch wires in home cabling that results in enough current leakage to make LEDs glow visibly.
I'd rather they'd used one more resistor to limit inrush current, as the LEDs will bear the full brunt of it at switch-on.
The price the lamp pays for the simplicity of the circuitry is flicker. It's not noticeable to the human eye when viewing the lamp directly or it's surprisingly high output in a room, but it's detectable in peripheral vision and when you move your eyes rapidly while looking at it. I'd estimate it's lit for just a third of the mains sinewave.
You may note the delight in my voice at how they put all the circuitry on such a tiny PCB with just one main component on each side. This minimalist circuitry is very typical of what can be done with these new LED filament lamps where the LEDs operate at high voltage and low current.
The measured power of the lamp was about 1.6W. It put much more powerful LED lamps to shame with a good level of even illumination in the room.
The circuitry is basically the simplest possible capacitive dropper with a capacitor (330nF), discharge resistor (220K), bridge rectifier and an extra resistor (150K) across the filaments to make sure they go out fully, as there is usually a small amount of capacitive leakage between switch wires in home cabling that results in enough current leakage to make LEDs glow visibly.
I'd rather they'd used one more resistor to limit inrush current, as the LEDs will bear the full brunt of it at switch-on.
The price the lamp pays for the simplicity of the circuitry is flicker. It's not noticeable to the human eye when viewing the lamp directly or it's surprisingly high output in a room, but it's detectable in peripheral vision and when you move your eyes rapidly while looking at it. I'd estimate it's lit for just a third of the mains sinewave.
You may note the delight in my voice at how they put all the circuitry on such a tiny PCB with just one main component on each side. This minimalist circuitry is very typical of what can be done with these new LED filament lamps where the LEDs operate at high voltage and low current.
The measured power of the lamp was about 1.6W. It put much more powerful LED lamps to shame with a good level of even illumination in the room.
lol he said which ones this a resistive or capacitive but it stays cold
drawn toward capacitive no heat lol ….the ya take it apart mmmm it's got both and diodes lmfao
I find your videos wildly intruiging. Can't stop watching them. Facinating.
Hey Clive, I just discovered these bulbs recently & purchased two in a pack with the 4 string of LED's inside & they do put out a lot of light & do not even get warm, not even, WOW!! & with that amount of light, I just love them & save a lot on my utilities running these so I'll purchase more when I have the funds to do so because I mainly live in the dark because of the power consumption even using CFL bulbs, much higher than what these use & are prone to always going out way to soon for the amount of money they cost. That was when I discovered the spiral blacklight & purchased it as well & put it in a lamp directly behind one of these new bulbs, about 5 inches away & I walked away to give the blacklight time to warm up & when I returned to my amazement was that I could see every LED lit up on that string of 4. That's pretty slick to me to able to see the LED's in such a manner as that. Also a update on my little Red LED, it's been almost 3 months now & that thing is still running, two AA's, 1-1K resistor & the LED. WOW!!!!!!! I can't believe that it's still going. I remembered now why I built it though, it's for a cabinet style clock that can never be seen because it's just to dark in here for one & the other is how it's made, it just kind of block lights, but it is really neat in it's design, so I thought about drilling for a LED in it somewhere that might fit along with an LDR, in case it ever does get enough light that is. LOL. OK, I've talked your ear plum off by now. WOW!!!!!!!!! That's a lot, didn't realize, but I was rambling, sorry Clive, it's the pain med's. I'm on they will make me hyper sometimes. Later then Bud.
Great Video.
Could you tell us what is the purpose of that capacitor//resistor between the line and the bridge rectifier?
I love your videos, you're an EE genius. Keep making videos, be safe
I took the cap off my "lantern" bulb just now, seems it's the same circuit as this one, cap with a resistor to a rectifier with a resistor across the LEDs, naff-all smoothing, yet it's in an ES cap so plenty room for smoothing!! :\
Recently bought a couple just like yours (along w/ E14 adapters to fit them in American sockets). Mine tend not to flicker so much as to pulsate. That is, they pulse brighter for a split second & do this at regular intervals. Guess I should've bought the versions w/ the plastic skirt below the glass.
LED that flicker are abominable vile and just plain nasty.
Brilliant in its simplicity I'd say.